KNOM Radio Missionhttp://www.knom.org/wp
96.1 FM | 780 AM | Yours for Western AlaskaTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:41:06 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Take that, SADhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/11/26/take-that-sad/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/11/26/take-that-sad/#commentsTue, 26 Nov 2013 19:29:37 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=5892It's a dark, cold season in Alaska, but Tara says there are lots of ways to keep cheery: from Latin dance classes and yoga to multivitamins and time with the "sunbox."]]>

Keeping busy is essential, and something we are quickly learning at the Volunteer House.

As the dark dark winter looms before us, we have begun to take precautions against Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that is so prone to this area. In conjunction with a pretty well-balanced diet (lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains, along with whatever “subsistence mooching” we’ve done) we all make an effort to take a multivitamin and vitamin D dosage daily. Our free membership to the Rec Center (gym) through work is a godsend. We all go at various times, attending everything from yoga and Latin dance to Zumba, or for the non-class times, just running on the treadmill or lifting weights. They also have a rock climbing area (which Zach, Emily and I tested out one day) and a bowling alley (we have yet to step foot in). We also make it a point to turn on our Sunbox on days when the sun decides not to shine, or even days that it does and we just need a pick-me-up. It is designed to mimic the bright light of the suns rays, aiding in the combat of SAD.

Our Sunbox all dressed up!

And we aren’t even in the thick of it yet! Our shortest day isn’t until the end of December, which will be about three or so hours of daylight, so right now we are in a constant downward spiral of watching our daylight hours dwindle. By now I’ve gotten used to the fact that the sun won’t rise until I’ve been awake for at least three hours (approximately 11am), and be set by the time I leave the station. It makes me thankful for having a grandiose window next to my desk, where I can watch the sun the play on the mountains.

View from my desk window… not too shabby

On the weekends it’s especially difficult if I can’t find my phone and my clock is not plugged in. (Yawnnnn… stretchhhh) What time is it? Oh, it’s dark o’clock… looks like I’ll just sleep until the sun rises!

It is also easy to forget there is a world outside of our home-to-work, work-to-home routine. The all-of twenty steps commute can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. It is absolutely wonderful in the morning to walk out the door when your shift starts (on Nome time, naturally). However if you skip a day or two or three of other-worldly activity, you start to get a little stir-crazy.

Last weekend Em and I went sledding on Anvil Mountain

To keep ourselves going, this weekend we decided to make an activities list. It included everything from our gym classes to ice skating, attending a King Island potluck/dance gathering to checking out the grand opening of the Whimsy Shop (a fabrics store under new management). It included a handful of others, and though we didn’t get to everything on our list, we did accomplish those I mentioned along with a few I missed. So many activities!

So much time for activities!

As Daynee, Emily and I were walking back from Latin dance yesterday, the sun was blasting us right in the face. We walked down to the beach to get a better view and check out the sea as it is starting to freeze over. Rather than shielding my eyes, I looked straight into it. I know, I know… really bad for my eyes probably. But it was so beautiful reflecting off the water! You really have to take advantage of every ray of sunshine possible during this season.

In late 1999, former KNOMer John Albers (dressed in brown) works at the base of the station’s FM transmitter tower alongside volunteer engineer Les Brown (blue jacket). Les is holding the Christmas star that, shortly after this photo was taken, was hoisted back to the top of our FM tower; a star has decorated the tower every year since 1971, shining brightly over downtown Nome.

As we move through the dark days of winter and sub-zero weather, KNOM brings light to the lives of remote listeners throughout 100,000 square miles of Western Alaska.

It is a special time of year for the KNOM volunteers. They are far from their families, yet they treasure the gifts of service that they share with each other, the KNOM listeners, and you!

As in years past, the Christmas star is illuminated, and its tiny, bright lights reach into the darkness, sparkling and twinkling with anticipation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. We continue to witness marvelous signs of the great love and support we have for each other. The familiar aroma of a Christmas wreath in our broadcast studio reminds us that, through the cold and darkness, the hope of a new beginning will bring a great light.

In Mary the Word of God chose to be silent for the season measured by God. She, too, was silent; in her the light of the world shone in darkness. Today, in many souls, Christ asks that he may grow secretly, that he may be the light shining in the darkness. In the seasons of our Advent – waking, working, eating, sleeping, being – each breath is a breathing of Christ into the world.

The sun does eventually rise – here it peaks over the frozen Bering Sea as clouds roll in. Photo Credit: Dayneé Rosales.

We’re nearing the time in Western Alaska when the deepest darkness is upon us, but for me, it feels very similar to all the other days. Yes, the sun takes longer to rise each morning – today, for instance, it will rise at 11 AM and set at 4 PM – but since I’m in charge of the station from 5:30 AM, it’s been dark on my rising since I got to Nome. Running the early-morning show has been a lot of fun – I get to hear the crew picks first, and share inspirational thoughts with my radio listening friends just before 7 AM each day. But it also cuts into my social time – by about 7PM, I start getting tired, and I’m usually asleep by 9PM. Oddly, this means my sleep schedule hasn’t changed that much since living in the Eastern Time Zone – shift all my hours by four and you’ll have a pretty standard 9:30 – 4:30 EST schedule, with sleep about 1 AM EST.

That’s lots of numbers. But what do the numbers really mean?

I’m glad you asked. Getting a lower amount of sleep means that I am less willing to be social – as a borderline introvert/extrovert, I expend a small amount of personal energy to be social, and restock it when on my own or with close friends. Any one of the other volunteers counts as a close friend, but whenever we gather in groups larger than two, it starts taking additional energy to keep up. And my reserves are rather low, due to spending a lot of energy on being personable on the radio in the morning. I don’t get surly, but I do get reclusive. I’ll retreat to my room, to read or use the computer, and lose some socializing time that I would otherwise have.

But here’s the thing – when I need to recharge my internal batteries, the places I seek out are small and dark. Darkness, it seems, serves as a reminder of isolation, and thus helps me recharge. I know most people find the need to get out into the sunlight, but the dwindling sun actually seems to re-energize me, rather than drain me further. It’s come to the point that I’m no longer feeling tired around 7, and have to force myself to slow down and sleep – or I wake up without energy, instead of refreshed by sleep.

For some reason, performing in front of an audience builds my energy – or maybe condenses it. I love reading stories to live audiences – as I’m doing here, at the Nome Arts Council Open Mic Night at the Mini Convention Center! Photo Credit: Dayneé Rosales.

So, how early is too early?

Like most things, it depends. Too early is less than 7 hours of sleep for me. If I miss it one day, I’m more likely to get it the next. But, I then miss out on more things, so it’s a balancing act.

How do you do with darkness? Other people? What recharges your batteries? Let me know in the comments.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/12/11/how-early-is-too-early/feed/1Christmas greetings, over the airwaveshttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/12/09/christmas-greetings-over-the-airwaves/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/12/09/christmas-greetings-over-the-airwaves/#commentsSun, 09 Dec 2012 19:15:28 +0000http://www.knom.org/mission/wp/?p=527KNOM broadcasts to remote listeners throughout a signal area roughly the size of California.

With about 4 hours of sunlight each day at this time of year, communication can mean everything to families far away from each other.

Every year, KNOM broadcasts a seven-hour Christmas greeting program (call-in show) in which families separated by hundreds of miles can come together through the radio.

In remote stretches of western Alaska, some of KNOM’s listeners rarely get to see many of their relatives and friends, even at Christmastime. They so enjoy greeting each other during our call-in show, their happy voices spanning hundreds of miles to make a personal connection that their physical distance so often prevents. Listeners of all ages reach out to each other through KNOM to offer Christmas wishes. You can hear their joy and delight as they send out their heartfelt messages of love.

We wish you and everyone you care about the best this joyous Christmas. KNOM’s supporters make a remarkable difference in thousands of lives every day.